—Whit repartee: Infielder Whit Merrifield inked a stunning four year, $16.25 million deal to remain with the Royals, a deal that look like a major bargain for one of the more underrated players in baseball. He hit .304 to go along with an .806 OPS last season.

—New surroundings: Two players with tons of hype as prospects who both failed to live up to expectations will join the Royals next season. Can Owings and Hamilton benefit from a fresh start with a young team associated with low expectations?

—Can it get any worse? The Royals experienced their worst season since 2005 last year and they aren’t projected to perform much better this season. Are the Royals in store for a long, painful rebuild?